Königin Christine

In the 1600s, a headstrong young queen rules over war-torn Sweden, but infuriates her people by falling in love with a dashing Spanish ambassador. Both a dramatic and (surprisingly) lighthearted look at a woman caught between true love and her duties, with Greta Garbo and John Gilbert superb as the star-crossed lovers. The stodgy opening prologue seems unnecessarily mannered (Garbo, too, takes a while to warm up); however, the madly romantic Gilbert enlivens both the narrative and his co-star, and the film's final moments are honestly emotional, not hoked-up for easy tears. Well-directed by Rouben Mamoulian, sharply-written by H. M. Harwood and Salka Viertel from Viertel and Margaret P. Levino's original treatment (though many other writers were said to have worked on the script), and beautiful black-and-white cinematography by William H. Daniels. *** from ****